1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to an apparatus for efficiently and easily keeping a garbage can cover in close proximity to the garbage can without significantly impeding access to the can.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional garbage can includes a bottom wall and a open-topped side wall connected to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall. External portions of the side wall near the open top typically are provided with a pair of opposed handles to facilitate lifting and dumping of the garbage can. The prior art garbage can further includes a cover having an outwardly convex top wall and a short side wall depending downwardly from the top wall. The side wall of the cover is dimensioned and configured to telescope over the open top of the side wall of the garbage can. The cover is placed on the garbage can to provide a neat appearance, to contain undesirable odors and to limit access by animals. The cover must be removed each time a bag of garbage is added to the can and each time the can is to be emptied by a sanitation worker. Thus, the cover should be sufficiently secure to prevent inadvertent separation from the can, while still being easy to intentionally separate from the can for accessing the contents of the garbage can.
Animals, such as raccoons, are particularly adept at opening garbage cans that rely merely on the telescoping interfit of the cover with the can. These animals will separate the cover from the can and distribute the contents of the garbage can over a wide area while they are picking at the edible contents of the garbage bags. The garbage can cover, in the meantime, becomes a victim of the wind. The part top wall of most garbage can covers defines an efficient aerodynamical shape substantially resembling a Frisbee. Consequently, once separate from the can, the garbage can cover can travel a considerable distance. Garbage can covers often are run over by motor vehicles and rendered substantially useless.
To limit access by raccoons and other animals, many garbage cans include latches for releasably retaining the cover on the can. More particularly, a very popular prior art garbage can includes a circular bottom wall and a cylindrical side wall that are unitarily molded from plastic. Plastic handles are hingedly attached to the side wall near the open top of the garbage can. The handles are molded to include latch structures. This prior art garbage can cover includes a short cylindrical side wall that is molded to include ribs that can be lockingly engaged by the latch structures on the handles of the garbage can. Thus, the handles can be rotated upwardly into latched engagement with the short cylindrical side wall of the garbage can cover to prevent inadvertent separation of the cover from the can. Prior art garbage cans of this type typically are raccoon proof. However, home owners often neglect to properly latch the cover onto the can. Furthermore, a very full garbage can often cannot be properly latched. Thus, raccoons often are capable of removing the cover of a garbage can and permit the cover to be wind blown a considerable distance from the can.
Sanitation workers also are responsible for lost or damaged garbage can covers. In this regard, sanitation workers typically are very rushed. Thus, the garbage can cover is removed and tossed to the ground near the can. The can then is dumped into the garbage truck, and the empty can is placed back on the ground near the cover. Garbage cans are fairly large and heavy, and therefore are not likely to be windblown. However, as noted above, the light weight aerodynamically shaped garbage can cover often will be blown into a street before the home owner has the opportunity to affix the cover back on the can.
Trash is picked up two times per week at many suburban locations. Thus, the garbage can cover will be tossed free of the garbage can at least twice each week. In many areas, the garbage cans must be placed at or adjacent the curb on the days of garbage pick up. Additionally, in many locations the residents of a home will have left for work or school before the garbage has been picked up. Thus, the garbage can cover will lie separated from the can and near the curb for most of two days each week. This considerable duration increases the probability that the garbage can cover will be blown into the nearby street and permanently damaged or lost. Furthermore, even on a windless day, the separated garbage can and garbage can cover are unsightly.
The prior art includes many attempts to keep a garbage can cover on or near the can. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,725 shows a pair of straps for use with a garbage can and cover. One end of each strap includes a latch for engaging each of the two handles on the garbage can. The opposed ends of the straps include releasably engageable Velcro connections. The Velcro connections can be separated to access the garbage can and can be secured to one another for holding the garbage can cover on the can. An attachment of this type may be effective for preventing access by raccoons. However, sanitation workers must separate the Velcro connections to access the cans. Sanitation workers cannot be relied upon to reaffix the Velcro connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,202 shows a strap having a pair of D-rings on the opposed ends. One D-ring is connected to the handle on the garbage can, while the opposed D-ring is connected to the handle on the cover. A strap of this type would have no effect on limiting access by raccoons or other such animals. Additionally, most garbage cans currently are molded from plastic, and the covers do not include a handle to which a D-ring could be affixed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,170 shows a garbage can cover that is threadedly engageable with the top of the garbage can. The garbage can cover includes a handle at a top central position. An eye bolt is passed through the handle and is threadedly engaged thereon. The cable is then passed through the eye bolt and opposed ends of the cable are permanently connected to the handles of the garbage can. The cable includes enough slack to permit the threaded engagement and disengagement of the cover. Additionally, the cable includes enough slack to prevent separation of the cover from the garbage can after the cover and can have been threadedly separated. In this instance, the cable does not function to hold the cover on the can for purposes of preventing access by animals. Rather, the cover relies upon the threaded interconnection to the can for preventing access by animals. Thus, the cable merely functions to prevent the cover from being separated and blown away from the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,371 shows a first belt that is wrapped circumferentially around the garbage can at a location beneath the handles. This circumferential strap includes a pair of Velcro-type connectors diametrically opposite positions thereon. A second strap is then secured over the cover. This second strap has Velcro-type connectors at opposite ends that are secured to the diametrically opposite Velcro-type connectors on the circumferential strap for holding the cover on the can. However, this combination of straps does not function to prevent separation of the cover on the can.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,114 shows a garbage can and cover assembly where the cover is threadedly engageable with the can. The cover is retained in close proximity to the can by a pair of hingedly connected arms. One arm is hingedly connected to the side wall of the garbage can, while the second arm is pivotally engaged with a central position on the cover. This pivoted connection permits the unthreading of the cover, while the other hinged connections of the arms permits the cover to be rotated away from the can. This assembly does not function to keep the cover on the can. Rather, the cover and can must rely upon their threaded interconnection. As a result, this complex hinged arrangement would be substantially useless on most garbage cans that do not have threaded interengagement of the cover and the can.
Other complex garbage can connection assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,935,964, 4,320,851, 4,384,656 and 4,470,176. Each of these garbage can and cover assemblies include cover retention mechanisms that are complex and that require specially manufactured covers for cans or complexly retrofitted covers and cans.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide an inexpensive assembly that can be used to securely hold a cover on a can and to keep the cover in close proximity to the can after the contents of the can have been accessed.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a garbage can and cover retention assembly that can be used with virtually any plastic garbage can.
An additional object of the subject invention is to provide a garbage can and cover retention assembly that does not significantly impede access to the garbage can by humans.
A further object of the invention is to provide a garbage can cover retention device that can be attached easily to a garbage can and/or cover by a layman using simple hand tools.